Artist&#39;s color mixing dish



July 26, 1938. R M ALLMAN 2,124,810

ARTISTS COLOR MIXING .DISH

Filed Jan. 16, 1937 4 7 n LJUUUUUKJU U U W Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to color mixing dishes or palettes as used by artists in mixing their colors, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an improved dish of. this nature which will facilitate the mixing of water colors, particularly in mixing large washes of various tints successively in the same mixing dish; also such a dish which will provide for the easy removal of any of the various primary or fundamental colors or paints without interference with the others and/or larger mixed washes which may have been prepared on the dish; also the easy removal of mixed washes without interference with other mixed washes or the fundamental colors.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the preferred or round form of my improved artists color mixing dish;

Figure 2 is a cross section of the dish of Figure 1 as seen from the line 22 thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view in reduced scale showing a dish of rectangular form made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 4 is a reduced size plan view of a dish similar to that of Figure 1, but showing two wash mixing areas;

Figure 5 is a plan view of an elongated or oblong form of color mixing dish having some of the advantages of my invention.

Before describing the invention in detail, it

may be said that many forms of color mixing dishes, trays, slabs, or palettes have been in use heretofore by artists in mixing their colors, and for water color work these devices have generally been provided with a series of depressions or cups to hold the fundamental colors, and one or more larger cups or depressions for mixing washes or tints with water preparatory to their application to the picture or drawing being executed.

Such prior devices are exemplified in the well blocks or slabs of rectangular form with several rows of color and mixing depressions, and particular reference is directed to Figure 2 of the latter patent which shows the lower row of depressions deeper at their inner ends and slanting '5 shallower to the edge of the block or slab.

However, in the practical using of any of the prior dishes or slabs as shown by the art mentioned, it is necessary to carry color on a wet brush innumerable times from the color depres- 10 sions to the mixing depressions with a result that when working fast, colors are inadvertently dripped into the various depressions to contaminate the same or spoil tints already prepared, and, should it be desired to wash out some of the primary color depressions or even the tint mixing depressions, it cannot be done by tipping the dish or slab at an angle and applying water or other solvent, as the other colors and/or mixed tints would also run off, or run over into each other, 20 and therefore in order to clean out one or more receptacles or depressions in such plates without interfering with the others, it is necessary to use a small sponge several times, or wads of absorbent cotton, all of which is a nuisance, and one of the 25 principal objections overcome by my improved construction, in which any of the color depressions and/or the mixing areas may be easily cleaned by tipping the dish at an angle under a small stream of water from a faucet without 30 interference with any of the others and to a great extent permitting the retention in all of the rest of them of a considerable more or less liquid content.

As will be seen by the drawing, the improved 35 dish may take several forms, Figures 1, 3 and 4 being in their order the preferred forms. In all of the figures the body of the dish, which may be of porcelain, glass, enameled sheet metal, or other suitable material, is designated I, the de- 40 pressions for holding the desired amounts of fundamental or working colors 2, the large wash mixing areas are designated 3 and 3'.

In the round and square forms of dish as shown in Figures 1 and 3 there is provided a rela- 45 tively very large central depression 3 or wash mixing area almost surrounded by a plurality of small marginal depressions designated 2 and which are for holding the fundamental colors desired, usually more or less wet water colors. The marginal color depressions 2 are all deepest at their inner ends and slant upwardly to the edge of the dish as best shown in Figure 2, while the central mixing depression 3 is preferably flat bottomed and is formed with a neck or passage- Way 4 slanting upwardly and outwardly to the edge of the dish.

The marginal depressions or compartments are separated by radially extending walls 5 and the central mixing area by a circular wall 6, all with well rounded corners to avoid crevices where color would be hard to remove, and the walls also taper to minimum thickness at their upper edges.

There may be any desired number of the small marginal color depressions, and for some classes of work the large central depression may be divided by a wall I to form two mixing areas, 3

and 3' as shown in Figure 4, each provided with a wash-out passage or neck 4, 4 leading to the outer edge of the dish as described for Figures 1 and 2. In the case of very large dishes, a single central mixing area may have two wash-out passages as described.

With a dish as described, it will be evident that any depression may be wiped out with a wet cloth or sponge, and over the outer edge of the dish without interfering with any other, and the central mixing area may be similarly wiped out; or when it is desired to apply fresh or different colors to any of the depressions or the central mixing area, the dish may be tipped at a slight angle under a small stream of water and any depression washed out without the water running over into the adjacent depression.

Furthermore, when using the dish to mix a tint or wash in the central area, any of the colors from the marginal depressions 2 may be touched by the brush and the desired amount transferred over one wall only 6, to the central one, thus avoiding any possibility of dripping into other color depressions to contaminate the same.

The round form of dish also lends itself to mounting on a rotating stand so that it may be turned to any convenient position. The oblong form of dish I, Figure 5, is shown with two large mixing depressions 8 and 9, and a row of color depressions 2 along the opposite margin. This form does not have all of the advantages above enumerated, but also embraces the features of having all depressions, both for the color paints and for mixing slant upwardly and outwardly to the edges of the dish in opposite directions to facilitate washing out as described.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

. 1. A color mixing dish of the character described provided with partitions forming a plurality of separate marginal color holding depressions and a larger mixing depression separated by a wall from the marginal depressions, each of said depressions provided with a wash-out passageway slanting upwardly to the outer edge of the dish.

2. A color mixing dish of the character described provided with a relatively large depressed color mixing area, and a row of smaller depressed color holding areas substantially surrounding the large mixing area, the large mixing area provided with a wash-out passageway extending to the edge of the dish.

3. A color mixing dish of the character described provided with a relatively large depressed color mixing area, and a row of smaller depressed color holding areas substantially surrounding the large mixing area, the large mixing area provided with a partitioning wall dividing said mixing area into two divisions, and each division provided with a wash-out passageway extending to the edge of the dish.

RICHARD M. ALLMAN. 

